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Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 20
A Panjab University (PU) panel have accused three Ludhiana colleges for exploiting teachers and have uncovered mass irregularities. The colleges in the dock include SDP College, Devki Devi Jain Memorial College for Women and Atam Vallabh Jain College.
The reports of the panel would come up for discussion during a Syndicate meeting slated for January 27.
SDP College
A PU panel comprising Dr Raj Kumar Mahajan, Harpreet Singh Dua and Dr IPS Sidhu visited the college on September 14, 2018, and concluded that “no rule of PU/DPI (Colleges)/UGC is being followed in the college.”
The report said “salary of the staff has not been paid for the last six months.” The “casual leaves are not granted to staff” and “annual increment has not been granted to the staff for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 session.”
The report said management did not pass on dearness allowance (DA) arrears received from the Punjab Government for 2015-18, to its Grant-in-Aid staff and provident fund was not paid on total salary as per the PU norms.
Though the college charges retiree benefits from students, but did not pass on leave encashment to two retired teachers and a non-teaching staff.
“Some teachers appointed in 2011 and 2013 in the commerce department are paid salary of Rs 45,521 each. But 50 per cent of the salary is taken by a person deputed by the chairman. To avoid any kind of proof being leaked, cell phones are not allowed in the office when the money is taken back,” stated the report.
The college has not been giving any increment to these teachers and their service books were not being maintained. “No maternity leave was granted to any of these teachers. They were forced to take leave without pay for the said period. No medical, earned or casual leave is granted. If they avail leave, they are marked absent and salary is deducted for that day.”
The report mentions that teachers, who were appointed on basic pay of Rs 21,600, were asked to deposit Rs 3,000. “No appointment letter has been given to these teachers.”
“Teachers appointed in 2017 have not been given any appointment letters although letters of extension of probation, after one year of service, have been given to them.”
“The resignations were taken in writing at the time of the appointment of non-teaching staff members.” Also, no promotion has been granted to any of the non-teaching staff.
Atam Vallabh Jain College
The same panel, which also included Senator Prabhjit Singh found that Atam Vallabh Jain College was not paying full DA to teaching staff during their visit on October 13, 2018. “Hundred per cent DA is being paid as opposed to the 132 per cent prescribed by the DPI.”
The report said, “House rent allowance (HRA) at 15 per cent as opposed to 20 per cent prescribed by the Punjab Government was being paid to staff, when the college commenced its operation. Later, it was arbitrarily withdrawn in 2013, the year in which HR Saini joined the college as co-ordinator.”
The report opposed to Saini as co-ordinator as no such provision is there in the PU Calendar while principal doesn’t have any say in academic matters.
The college was not duly deducting provident fund (PF), since its inception, but it started the practice from July 2018 where PF was deducted at 10 per cent of basic.
“Some teachers were not allowed to attend refresher or orientation courses because of which they missed out on their due promotions”. The report added that college management “ordered the staff to deposit back 50 per cent of their salary via the office superintendent”.
Devki Devi Jain Memorial College for Women
The same panel visited the college on September 20, 2018. “Unaided teachers are not given any maternity leave and are thus forced to take a paid leave for the purpose. The management (of the college) did not allow teachers working on unaided management posts to attend orientation or refresher courses thereby depriving them of their right to promotion. Hence, teachers working in the same college for the last 25 years are on 6,000 AGP.”
The faculty working on management unaided posts were not given any scale before 2012. Between the time period of 1994 and 2012, they were on consolidated salary. Since 2012, they were working on basic salary.
The report said, “Teachers working on unaided management posts are being given 15 per cent HRA and medical allowance at Rs 50-as opposed to 20 per cent HRA and medical allowance at Rs 500-directed by the DPI.”
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